Systems and methods for indicating and determining channel structure information

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for indicating and determining channel structure information in a wireless communication network are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method performed by a first node is disclosed. The method comprises: receiving a wireless signal from a second node; obtaining channel structure information indicated by the wireless signal; determining a first waveform parameter set configured for the channel structure information indicated by the wireless signal; and determining transmission attributes of a transmission link between the first node and the second node in a predetermined time duration with respect to the first waveform parameter set based on the channel structure information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to PCT international applicationPCT/CN2017/096865, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INDICATING ANDDETERMINING CHANNEL STRUCTURE INFORMATION,” filed on Aug. 10, 2017,which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates generally to wireless communications and, moreparticularly, to systems and methods for indicating and determiningchannel structure information in a wireless communication network.

BACKGROUND

Over the past few decades, mobile communications have evolved from voiceservices to high-speed broadband data services. With further developmentof new types of businesses and applications, e.g. the mobile Internetand Internet of Things (IoT), the demands on data on mobile networkswill continue to increase exponentially. Based on diversified businessand application requirements in future mobile communications, wirelesscommunication systems should meet a variety of requirements, such asthroughput, latency, reliability, link density, cost, energyconsumption, complexity, and coverage.

An LTE (Long-Term Evolution) system can support performing FDD(Frequency Division Duplex) operation on a pair of spectrums (e.g.performing downlink on one carrier and uplink on another carrier): Italso supports TDD (Time Division Duplex) operation on an unpairedcarrier. In a conventional TDD operation mode, only a limited number ofconfigurations of uplink and downlink sub-frame allocations(corresponding to configuration 0 to configuration 6) are utilized.Adjacent areas use a same configuration, that is, with the samedirection of transmission. The technology of eIMTA (enhancedinterference mitigation and traffic adaptation) can configuresemi-statically (at 10 ms or more) the uplink and downlink of the LTEsystem, and make adjacent areas use different configurations of TDDuplink and downlink sub-frame allocations. But these configurations arestill limited to the several configurations described above.

Future wireless communication systems, such as the 5G/New Radio (NR)system, will support dynamic TDD operations, flexible Duplexing (orDuplexing flexibility) operations, and full Duplexing operations, inorder to meet the fast adaptive requirements of the business and tofurther improve the efficiency of spectrum utilization. Taking dynamicTDD as an example, a dynamic TDD operation refers to dynamically orsemi-dynamically changing the transmission direction as uplink ordownlink, on the unpaired spectrum (or on the uplink or downlinkcarriers in the paired spectrum). Compared to eIMTA, dynamic TDDoperations can support direction changes in a sub-frame level, a timeslot level, or in an even more dynamic level. While an eIMTA systemutilizes physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to indicate TDDsub-frame configurations, a 5G/NR system will use group-common PDCCH tonotify a group of terminals and/or users about some control information,e.g. slot format related information (SFI). For example, a base station(BS) in a 5G/NR system can indicate SFI via a group-common PDCCH tonotify a group of terminals about channel structure information of atransmission link between the BS and each terminal within one or moretime slots. The channel structure may include a pattern of transmissionattributes, e.g. downlink (DL), uplink (UL), and/or OTHER of thetransmission link.

There is no satisfactory solution in existing literatures or existingtechnologies for any of the following issues: (a) how the terminal canunderstand an SFI indication under different waveform parameter sets;(b) how the terminal can handle an OTHER filed in the channel structure,especially when a transmission direction indicated by the SFI conflictswith the transmission direction indicated by a user equipment (UE)specific downlink control information (DCI) and/or with the transmissiondirection under a semi-static configuration.

SUMMARY

The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are directed to solving theissues relating to one or more of the problems presented in the priorart, as well as providing additional features that will become readilyapparent by reference to the following detailed description when takenin conjunction with the accompany drawings. In accordance with variousembodiments, exemplary systems, methods, devices and computer programproducts are disclosed herein. It is understood, however, that theseembodiments are presented by way of example and not limitation, and itwill be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art who read thepresent disclosure that various modifications to the disclosedembodiments can be made while remaining within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

In one embodiment, a method performed by a first node is disclosed. Themethod comprises: receiving a wireless signal from a second node;obtaining channel structure information indicated by the wirelesssignal; determining a first waveform parameter set configured for thechannel structure information indicated by the wireless signal; anddetermining transmission attributes of a transmission link between thefirst node and the second node in a predetermined time duration withrespect to the first waveform parameter set based on the channelstructure information.

In another embodiment, a method performed by a first node is disclosed.The method comprises: configuring a first waveform parameter set and apredetermined time duration for a second node to determine transmissionattributes of a transmission link between the first node and the secondnode; generating a wireless signal which indicates channel structureinformation related to the first waveform parameter set; andtransmitting the wireless signal to the second node, wherein the secondnode determines transmission attributes of the transmission link in thepredetermined time duration with respect to the first waveform parameterset based on the channel structure information.

In a further embodiment, a first communication apparatus comprising aprocessor, a memory and a wireless interface is disclosed. The memorystores instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receivea wireless signal from a second communication apparatus; obtain channelstructure information indicated by the wireless signal; determine afirst waveform parameter set configured for the channel structureinformation indicated by the wireless signal; and determine transmissionattributes of a transmission link between the first communicationapparatus and the second communication apparatus in a predetermined timeduration with respect to the first waveform parameter set based on thechannel structure information.

In yet another embodiment, a first communication apparatus comprising aprocessor, a memory and a wireless interface is disclosed. The memorystores instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:configure a first waveform parameter set and a predetermined timeduration for a second communication apparatus to determine transmissionattributes of a transmission link between the first communicationapparatus and the second communication apparatus; generate a wirelesssignal which indicates channel structure information related to thefirst waveform parameter set; and transmit the wireless signal to thesecond communication apparatus.

In still another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable mediumhaving computer-executable instructions stored thereon is disclosed. Thecomputer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor of afirst node, causing the processor to implement a method comprising:receiving a wireless signal from a second node; obtaining channelstructure information indicated by the wireless signal; determining afirst waveform parameter set configured for the channel structureinformation indicated by the wireless signal; and determiningtransmission attributes of a transmission link between the first nodeand the second node in a predetermined time duration with respect to thefirst waveform parameter set based on the channel structure information.

In a further embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable mediumhaving computer-executable instructions stored thereon is disclosed. Thecomputer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor of afirst node, causing the processor to implement a method comprising:configuring a first waveform parameter set and a predetermined timeduration for a second node to determine transmission attributes of atransmission link between the first node and the second node; generatinga wireless signal which indicates channel structure information relatedto the first waveform parameter set; and transmitting the wirelesssignal to the second node.

In another embodiment, a communication node configured to carry out adisclosed method in some embodiment is disclosed.

In yet another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable mediumhaving stored thereon computer-executable instructions for carrying outa disclosed method in some embodiment is disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described indetail below with reference to the following Figures. The drawings areprovided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure to facilitate the reader'sunderstanding of the present disclosure. Therefore, the drawings shouldnot be considered limiting of the breadth, scope, or applicability ofthe present disclosure. It should be noted that for clarity and ease ofillustration these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a base station (BS), in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart for a method performed by a BS forindicating channel structure information, in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a user equipment (UE), inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart for a method performed by a UE fordetermining and updating channel structure information, in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5-7 illustrate examples of channel structure determination underdifferent waveform parameter sets, when an SFI pattern covers apredetermined number of OFDM symbols, in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 8-13 illustrate examples of channel structure determination withan alignment of transmission attributes under different waveformparameter sets, when an SFI pattern covers a predetermined length oftime, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 14-16 illustrate examples of channel structure determinationwithout an alignment of transmission attributes under different waveformparameter sets, when an SFI pattern covers a predetermined number ofslots or OFDM symbols, in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 17 illustrates a process for a UE to update transmission attributesof OTHER fields to receive and/or transmit semi-statically configuredperiodic or aperiodic downlink and/or uplink signals in the OTHERfields, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are describedbelow with reference to the accompanying figures to enable a person ofordinary skill in the art to make and use the present disclosure. Aswould be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, after readingthe present disclosure, various changes or modifications to the examplesdescribed herein can be made without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to theexemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein.Additionally, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methodsdisclosed herein are merely exemplary approaches. Based upon designpreferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps of the disclosedmethods or processes can be re-arranged while remaining within the scopeof the present disclosure. Thus, those of ordinary skill in the art willunderstand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein presentvarious steps or acts in a sample order, and the present disclosure isnot limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented unlessexpressly stated otherwise.

A BS in a 5G/NR system will use group-common PDCCH to notify a group ofuser equipment (UE) terminals about some control information, e.g. slotformat related information (SFI), to indicate channel structureinformation of a transmission link between the BS and each UE within aneffective time duration. The channel structure may include a pattern oftransmission attributes, e.g. DL, UL, and/or OTHER, of the transmissionlink. There is no satisfactory solution in existing literatures orexisting technologies for any of the following issues: first, how a UEcan understand an SFI indication under different waveform parametersets; and second, how a UE can handle an OTHER filed in the channelstructure, especially when a transmission direction indicated by the SFIconflicts with the transmission direction indicated by a UE specific DCIand/or with the transmission direction under a semi-staticconfiguration.

Regarding the first issue, since it has not yet been finalized tosupport which bandwidth part (BWP) configuration in 5G/NR, the presentteaching will describe both a case for activating a single BWP and acase for activating multiple BWPs. A waveform parameter set, e.g. aNumerology, is closely related to BWP. For example, a Numerologyconfigured by the system for a DL BWP can be applied to PDCCH (PhysicalDownlink Control Channel), PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), andcorresponding DMRS (Demodulation Reference Signal) within the DL BWP;and a Numerology configured by the system for a UL BWP can be applied toPUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink SharedChannel) and corresponding DMRS within the UL BWP. According to thecurrent process of NR, a Numerology may correspond to a SCS (Sub-carrierspace), an OFDM symbol length, the number of OFDM symbols contained in aslot, a CP (Cyclic Prefix) length, etc.

To solve the first issue, the present teaching provides methods andsystems for a UE to determine channel structure, e.g. transmissionattributes, of a transmission link between the UE and the BS, based onan SFI indication received from the BS, under different waveformparameter sets, e.g. under different Numerologies corresponding todifferent BWPs to be activated. According to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure, the SFI pattern may cover a predetermined number ofslots or OFDM symbols, or a predetermined length of time; and the UE maydetermine the channel structure with or without an alignment oftransmission attributes under different Numerologies.

Regarding the second issue, a 5G/NR system currently uses an OTHER fieldto mean “unknown.” That is, the terminal will understand an OTHER fieldto be “the direction of transmission undetermined”, without making anyassumption, and not resolving the OTHER field to be “empty.” To solvethe second issue, the present teaching provides methods and systems fora UE to update transmission attributes in the OTHER fields to receiveand/or transmit downlink and/or uplink signals in the OTHER fields, whena transmission direction indicated by the SFI is updated by thetransmission direction indicated by a UE specific DCI and/or by thetransmission direction under a semi-static configuration, in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure.

The methods disclosed in the present teaching can be implemented in acellular communication network, which includes one or more cells. Eachcell may include at least one base station (BS) operating at itsallocated bandwidth to provide adequate radio coverage to its intendedusers, e.g. UE devices. In various embodiments, a BS in the presentdisclosure can include, or be implemented as, a next Generation Node B(gNB), a Transmission/Reception Point (TRP), an Access Point (AP), etc.In the present teaching, the terms “terminal” and “UE” will be usedinterchangeably.

A BS and a UE device can communicate with each other via a communicationlink, e.g., via a downlink radio frame from the BS to the UE or via anuplink radio frame from the UE to the BS. Each radio frame may befurther divided into sub-frames which may include data symbols. A BS anda UE may be described herein as non-limiting examples of “communicationnodes,” or “nodes” generally, which can practice the methods disclosedherein and may be capable of wireless and/or wired communications, inaccordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a base station (BS) 100, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The BS 100is an example of a device that can be configured to implement thevarious methods described herein. As shown in FIG. 1, the BS 100includes a housing 140 containing a system clock 102, a processor 104, amemory 106, a transceiver 110 comprising a transmitter 112 and receiver114, a power module 108, a BWP configuration generator 120, a channelstructure indication generator 122, a codebook configuration generator124, and a parallel transmission attribute indicator 126.

In this embodiment, the system clock 102 provides timing signals to theprocessor 104 for controlling the timing of all operations of the BS100. The processor 104 controls the general operation of the BS 100 andcan include one or more processing circuits or modules such as a centralprocessing unit (CPU) and/or any combination of general-purposemicroprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs),field programmable gate array (FPGAs), programmable logic devices(PLDs), controllers, state machines, gated logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, dedicated hardware finite state machines, or any othersuitable circuits, devices and/or structures that can performcalculations or other manipulations of data.

The memory 106, which can include both read-only memory (ROM) and randomaccess memory (RAM), can provide instructions and data to the processor104. A portion of the memory 106 can also include non-volatile randomaccess memory (NVRAM). The processor 104 typically performs logical andarithmetic operations based on program instructions stored within thememory 106. The instructions (a.k.a., software) stored in the memory 106can be executed by the processor 104 to perform the methods describedherein. The processor 104 and memory 106 together form a processingsystem that stores and executes software. As used herein, “software”means any type of instructions, whether referred to as software,firmware, middleware, microcode, etc. which can configure a machine ordevice to perform one or more desired functions or processes.Instructions can include code (e.g., in source code format, binary codeformat, executable code format, or any other suitable format of code).The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause theprocessing system to perform the various functions described herein.

The transceiver 110, which includes the transmitter 112 and receiver114, allows the BS 100 to transmit and receive data to and from a remotedevice (e.g., a UE or another BS). An antenna 150 is typically attachedto the housing 140 and electrically coupled to the transceiver 110. Invarious embodiments, the BS 100 includes (not shown) multipletransmitters, multiple receivers, multiple transceivers, and/or multipleantennas. The transmitter 112 can be configured to wirelessly transmitpackets having different packet types or functions, such packets beinggenerated by the processor 104. Similarly, the receiver 114 isconfigured to receive packets having different packet types orfunctions, and the processor 104 is configured to process packets of aplurality of different packet types. For example, the processor 104 canbe configured to determine the type of packet and to process the packetand/or fields of the packet accordingly.

The channel structure indication generator 122 may generate a wirelesssignal that indicates channel structure information about a transmissionlink between the BS 100 and a UE. For example, the wireless signal maybe a group-common PDCCH signal that carries SFI to be broadcasted to agroup of UE devices. The channel structure indication generator 122 maysend, via the transmitter 112, the wireless signal to the group of UEdevices for each UE to determine channel structures of the transmissionlink between the BS 100 and the UE on a BWP within a predetermined timeduration, based on a waveform parameter set, e.g. a Numerology,corresponding to the BWP.

According to various embodiments of the present teaching, thepredetermined time duration represents an effective time range of theSFI indication, and is determined by standardization requirements,semi-static configuration, or a dynamic indication generated by thechannel structure indication generator 122. According to differentembodiments, the effective time range of the SFI indication may beeither an absolute time period irrelevant to any waveform parameter set,or a relative time period associated with a predetermined waveformparameter set. In the latter case, a length of the relative time perioddepends on values of a waveform parameter set, e.g. a Numerology, wherethis Numerology may be equal to at least one of: (a) a source Numerologyunder which an SFI pattern is indicated to the UE; (b) a targetNumerology under which the UE will determine transmission attributes ofthe transmission link; and (c) a transmission Numerology under which thewireless signal is transmitted to the UE on a BWP.

The BWP configuration generator 120 may configure and activate one ormore BWPs for a UE. For example, for a UE to determine channelstructures on N (N is an integer greater than 1) BWPs, it is possible toconfigure the UE to detect and receive SFI on one or more of the N BWPs.The N BWPs may have same or different Numerologies. The BWPconfiguration generator 120 can configure Numerology for each BWPindependently and inform the configuration of BWP to the channelstructure indication generator 122 for generating SFI indication.

The codebook configuration generator 124 may generate and configure aset of structural codebooks. The set of structural codebooks includes aset of channel structure patterns, e.g. SFI patterns, covering apredetermined number of slots or OFDM symbols, or a predetermined lengthof time, according to different embodiments of the present teaching. AUE may be informed of the set of structural codebooks based onstandardization or semi-static configuration by the codebookconfiguration generator 124. Having knowledge of the set of structuralcodebooks, the UE can obtain a specific SFI pattern by looking up thestructural codebooks according to an SFI indication generated andtransmitted by the channel structure indication generator 122, anddetermine channel structures of the transmission link between the BS 100and the UE on a BWP based on the specific SFI pattern, while taking intoaccount the Numerology corresponding to the BWP.

The parallel transmission attribute indicator 126 may generateindications of transmission attributes of the transmission link, in aparallel manner to the SFI indication. For example, the paralleltransmission attribute indicator 126 may indicate transmissionattributes based on a UE specific DCI and/or a semi-static configurationsignal. While an SFI in a group-common PDCCH is broadcasted to a groupof UE devices, the UE specific DCI is sent, via the transmitter 112, toa specific UE. When there is a conflict between the transmissiondirections indicated by the SFI and the parallel indicator generated bythe parallel transmission attribute indicator 126, the UE may update thetransmission attributes based on the latest transmission attributeindication.

In one embodiment, the processor 104 may determine which scheme is to beused for determining the channel structures. For example, the processor104 can determine whether an SFI pattern covers a predetermined numberof slots or OFDM symbols, or a predetermined length of time; and canalso determine whether the UE should determine the channel structurewith or without an alignment of transmission attributes under differentNumerologies. The processor 104 can determine the scheme according tostandardization or a dynamic configuration.

The power module 108 can include a power source such as one or morebatteries, and a power regulator, to provide regulated power to each ofthe above-described modules in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, if the BS100 is coupled to a dedicated external power source (e.g., a wallelectrical outlet), the power module 108 can include a transformer and apower regulator.

The various modules discussed above are coupled together by a bus system130. The bus system 130 can include a data bus and, for example, a powerbus, a control signal bus, and/or a status signal bus in addition to thedata bus. It is understood that the modules of the BS 100 can beoperatively coupled to one another using any suitable techniques andmediums.

Although a number of separate modules or components are illustrated inFIG. 1, persons of ordinary skill in the art will understand that one ormore of the modules can be combined or commonly implemented. Forexample, the processor 104 can implement not only the functionalitydescribed above with respect to the processor 104, but also implementthe functionality described above with respect to the BWP configurationgenerator 120. Conversely, each of the modules illustrated in FIG. 1 canbe implemented using a plurality of separate components or elements.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart for a method 200 performed by a BS, e.g.the BS 100 in FIG. 1, for indicating channel structure information, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. At 202, BSconfigures an effective time duration for a UE to determine channelstructures of a transmission link between the BS and the UE on a set ofBWPs. At 204, BS configures a waveform parameter set for each BWP in theset of BWPs. At 206, BS generates a wireless signal that indicateschannel structure information based on a set of structural codebooksthat has been informed to the UE based on standardization or semi-staticconfiguration. The BS then transmits the wireless signal to the UE at208.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a user equipment (UE) 300, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The UE 300is an example of a device that can be configured to implement thevarious methods described herein. As shown in FIG. 3, the UE 300includes a housing 340 containing a system clock 302, a processor 304, amemory 306, a transceiver 310 comprising a transmitter 312 and areceiver 314, a power module 308, an SFI pattern determiner 320, aNumerology comparison unit 322, a Numerology determiner 324, atransmission attribute determiner 326, and a transmission attributeupdater 328.

In this embodiment, the system clock 302, the processor 304, the memory306, the transceiver 310 and the power module 308 work similarly to thesystem clock 102, the processor 104, the memory 106, the transceiver 110and the power module 108 in the BS 100. An antenna 350 is typicallyattached to the housing 340 and electrically coupled to the transceiver310.

The SFI pattern determiner 320 may receive, via the receiver 314, awireless signal from a BS, e.g. the BS 100, and obtain channel structureinformation indicated by the wireless signal. As discussed above, thewireless signal may be a group-common PDCCH signal that carries SFIbeing broadcasted to a group of UE devices associated with the BS. Basedon the SFI indication obtained from the wireless signal, the SFI patterndeterminer 320 can obtain a specific SFI pattern by looking up thestructural codebooks that are determined based on standardization orsemi-static configuration. The SFI pattern determiner 320 may send theindicated SFI pattern to the Numerology comparison unit 322 forNumerology comparison and to the transmission attribute determiner 326for transmission attribute determination.

While the wireless signal is received and detected by the UE 300 on afirst set of BWPs, the UE 300 may determine channel structure on asecond set of BWPs including the first set of BWPs. The second set ofBWPs may have same or different Numerologies. Each BWP in the first andsecond sets of BWPs may be determined based on at least one of: astandardization requirement, a semi-static configuration, a dynamicconfiguration, and other channel signals. The Numerology determiner 324may determine the Numerology, referred to as target Numerology, for eachBWP, referred to as target BWP, of the second set of BWPs based on atleast one of: the wireless signal, a transmission Numerology of thetarget BWP, a standardization requirement, a semi-static configuration,a dynamic configuration, and other channel signals. The Numerologydeterminer 324 can send each target Numerology to the Numerologycomparison unit 322 for Numerology comparison and to the transmissionattribute determiner 326 for transmission attribute determination.

The Numerology comparison unit 322 may receive both the indicated SFIpattern from the SFI pattern determiner 320 and the target Numerologiesfrom the Numerology determiner 324. In some embodiments, the indicatedSFI pattern is irrelevant to any Numerology, but only relevant to apredetermined number of OFDM symbols, i.e. a slot length under theindicated SFI pattern. In this case, the Numerology comparison unit 322can compare the slot length under the indicated SFI pattern with theslot length under each target Numerology. In other embodiments, theindicated SFI pattern is relevant to a specific Numerology, referred toas source Numerology. The source Numerology may be determined based onat least one of: a standardization requirement, a semi-staticconfiguration, a dynamic configuration, and other channel signals. Inthis case, the Numerology comparison unit 322 can compare the sourceNumerology with each target Numerology. In either case, based on thecomparison results, the Numerology comparison unit 322 may determine achannel structure translation scheme for the transmission attributedeterminer 326 to determine transmission attributes of a transmissionlink between the BS 100 and the UE 300 on each target BWP. According todifferent embodiments, the translation scheme may include operations ofconcatenation and/or split that is only applied to OFDM symbols underthe target Numerology within a predetermined time duration thatrepresents an effective time range of the SFI indication.

The transmission attribute determiner 326 may determine transmissionattributes of the transmission link between the BS 100 and the UE 300 oneach target BWP in the predetermined time duration with respect to thetarget Numerology determined by the Numerology determiner 324, based onthe indicated SFI pattern determined by the SFI pattern determiner 320and according to the translation scheme determined by the Numerologycomparison unit 322.

The transmission attribute updater 328 may receive, via the receiver314, some updated transmission attribute indication from the BS 100,e.g. based on a UE specific DCI and/or a semi-static configurationsignal. When there is a conflict between the transmission directionsindicated by the SFI and the parallel indicator received by thetransmission attribute updater 328, the transmission attribute updater328 may update the transmission attributes based on the latesttransmission attribute indication.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart for a method 400 performed by a UE, e.g.the UE 300 in FIG. 3, for determining and updating channel structureinformation, in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. At 402, UE receives a wireless signal from BS. At 404, UEobtains from the wireless signal channel structure informationindicating channel structures of a transmission link between the BS andthe UE. At 406, UE determines a waveform parameter set and an effectivetime duration configured by the BS. At 408, UE determines transmissionattributes of the transmission link in the effective time duration withrespect to the waveform parameter set. Optionally at 410, UE updates oneor more transmission attributes of the transmission link upon receivinga parallel transmission attribute indication from the BS.

Different embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described indetail hereinafter. It is noted that the features of the embodiments andexamples in the present disclosure may be combined with each other inany manner without conflict.

In Embodiment 1, the indicated SFI pattern corresponds to apredetermined number of OFDM symbols for a UE to determine channelstructure under different target Numerologies. Based on standardizationor semi-static configuration of BS, a UE can understand a set ofcodebooks of SFI patterns, including SFI pattern 1, SFI pattern 2 . . .SFI pattern N, where different SFI patterns represent different channelstructure, e.g. slot structures. For example, SFI pattern 1 represents{7′D′ 2′O′ 5′U′}, SFI pattern 2 represents {12′D′ 1′O′ 1′U′}, SFIpattern 3 represents {2′D′ 1′O′ 10′U′ 1′O′}, SFI pattern 4 represents{3′D′ 2′O′ 2′U′}, and so on, where “D” denotes an OFDM symbol or symbolgroup having a transmission attribute of “downlink”, “U” denotes an OFDMsymbol or symbol group having a transmission attribute of “uplink”, and“O” denotes an OFDM symbol or symbol group having a transmissionattribute of “other.” All of the SFI patterns in the codebook set mayindicate slot structures of a same number of OFDM symbols, or mayindicate slot structures of different numbers of OFDM symbols. Whetherthe number is same or not, for a certain SFI pattern, it indicates aslot structure with a slot length of N0 OFDM symbols, where N0 is apositive integer, such as N0=7 or N0=14.

The UE receives an SFI indication from a CORESET (Control Resource Set)of a BWP, which indicates a certain SFI pattern in the codebook set,where the Numerology of the BWP is configured as Numerology 1. The slotunder Numerology 1 contains N1 OFDM symbols. It can be understood that,while a transmission Numerology (Numerology of a transmitted BWP) isequal to a target Numerology in this embodiment, the transmissionNumerology may be different from a target Numerology in some otherembodiments.

By comparing N0 and N1, the UE can determine different translationschemes to for channel structure determination.

If N1 is equal to N0, the UE can do a one-to-one mapping for each OFDMsymbol according to the indicated SFI pattern. As shown in FIG. 5, theUE can determine what the transmission attribute of N1 OFDM symbols isin each slot, within the effective slots indicated by SFI 510 and withinthe frequency domain of the BWP. FIG. 5 shows different examples 520,530, 540 of OFDM symbol length (or sub-carrier spacing) under Numerology1, where N0=N1=14. Regardless of the size of the OFDM symbol length (orsub-carrier spacing) under Numerology 1, the UE can simply map thetransmission attribute of each OFDM symbol indicated in the SFI pattern510 to a corresponding OFDM symbol under Numerology 1.

If N1 is less than N0, a slot indicated by SFI pattern may be split intomultiple slots under Numerology 1. Normally, N0 is an integer multipleof N1, that is, N0=N1*k, k is a positive integer. As shown in FIG. 6,when N0 =14 and N1=7, one N0 is split into two N1, then a slot structureof two concatenated slots under Numerology 1 corresponds to the slotstructure indicated by the SFI pattern 610. FIG. 6 shows differentexamples 620, 630, 640 of OFDM symbol length (or subcarrier spacing)under Numerology 1. Regardless of the size of the OFDM symbol length (orsubcarrier spacing) under Numerology 1, the terminal can simply map thetransmission attribute of each of the N0 OFDM symbols in one slot underthe SFI pattern to a corresponding OFDM symbol in k slots each includingN1 OFDM symbols under Numerology 1, where the OFDM symbols in the kslots under Numerology 1 are assigned with transmission attributes oneby one, according to the indication of the SFI pattern.

If N1 is greater than N0, UE can concatenate the slot structureindicated by SFI pattern to get the slot structure under Numerology 1.Normally, N1 is an integer multiple of N0, that is, N1=N0*k, k is apositive integer. As shown in FIG. 7, two slot structures containing N0OFDM symbols indicated by SFI pattern 710 are concatenated, and the OFDMsymbol transmission attributes of the concatenated slot structure aremapped to a slot containing N1 OFDM symbols under a Numerology 1. FIG. 7shows different examples 720, 730, 740 of OFDM symbol length (orsubcarrier spacing) under Numerology 1. The size of the OFDM symbollength (or subcarrier spacing) under Numerology 1 does not affect theoperation of transmission attribute assignment symbol-by-symbol afterconcatenation.

It can be understood that even when N1 is not an integer multiple of N0and when N0 is not an integer multiple of N1, the dividing orconcatenation operation may only be applied to the N1 symbols within theeffective time duration.

It can be understood that while a channel structure in a codebook setcorresponds to a slot in this embodiment, a channel structure in acodebook set may correspond to any of the following: one or more radioframes, one or more sub-frames, one or more slots, and one or moregroups of slots, in various embodiments of the present teaching. It canalso be understood that while each channel structure in this embodimentcovers one or more OFDM symbols and shows a pattern of transmissionattributes in a series of OFDM symbols, a channel structure pattern ingeneral can show a pattern of transmission attributes in one or moretime units, where each time unit may include any of the following: oneor more OFDM symbols, one or more groups of OFDM symbols, one or moremini-slots, and one or more slots.

Embodiment 1 does not emphasize or require the length of a single OFDMsymbol under SFI pattern. The length of a single OFDM symbol may or maynot be identified, based on standardization or semi-static configurationof the SFI pattern. If the length of a single OFDM symbol is notidentified, it is only necessary to provide the number of OFDM symbolscorresponding to the SFI pattern.

Embodiment 1 can be applied to cases where the BS configures andactivates a single BWP or a plurality of BWPs for the UE and cases wherethe BS transmits a single SFI or a plurality of SFIs to the UE, whichincludes the following cases.

In a first case, the BS configures and activates only one BWP for theUE. The UE detects and receives the SFI on a CORESET of the active BWP,reads the SFI pattern indication from the SFI of the active BWP, anddetermine a slot structure on the active BWP based on the indication bya method described in the embodiment.

In a second case, the BS configures and activates a plurality of BWPsfor the UE. The UE detects and receives the SFI from only one BWP in theplurality of BWPs; reads the SFI pattern indication from the SFI; anddetermines a slot structure respectively on each of the plurality ofactive BWPs based on the indication by a method described in theembodiment.

In a third case, the BS configures and activates a plurality of BWPs forthe UE. The UE detects and receives SFI on at least some (all or part,but more than one) of the plurality of BWPs. The UE may receive multipleSFIs. The UE reads the SFI pattern indication from BWP x, and determinesthe slot structure on the active BWP x based on the indication by amethod described in the embodiment. The UE reads the SFI patternindication from BWP y, and determines the slot structure on the activeBWP y based on the indication by a method described in the embodiment.That is, the UE independently determines the slot structure of each BWPaccording to the SFI indication of each BWP.

In Embodiment 2, the indicated SFI pattern corresponds to apredetermined length of time, and the transmission attributes underdifferent Numerologies are aligned in the time domain. Based on thestandardization or semi-static configuration of BS, the UE canunderstand the codebook set under Numerology 0 (source Numerology),including SFI pattern 1, SFI pattern 2 . . . SFI pattern N, wheredifferent SFI patterns represent different slot structures underNumerology 0. The Numerology 0 has its own specific SCS, OFDM symbollength, the number of OFDM symbols contained in a slot, denoted as SCS0,OSLO, N0, respectively. Based on the OSL0 and N0, one can determine theslot length T0 under Numerology 0, where T0=OSL0*N0, where the sourceNumerology is determined based on at least one of: a standardizationrequirement, a semi-static configuration, a dynamic configuration, andother channel signals.

The UE reads SFI from a CORESET of a BWP to obtain an SFI pattern, wherethe Numerology of the BWP is configured as Numerology 1 (targetNumerology). Numerology 1 has its own specific SCS, OFDM symbol length,the number of OFDM symbols contained in a slot, denoted as SCSI, OSL1,N1, respectively. Based on the OSL1 and N1, one can determine the slotlength T1 under Numerology 1, where T1=OSL1*N1. It can be understoodthat, while a transmission Numerology (Numerology of a transmitted BWP)is equal to a target Numerology in this embodiment, the transmissionNumerology may be different from a target Numerology in some otherembodiments.

By comparing Numerology 0 and Numerology 1, the UE can determinedifferent translation schemes to for channel structure determination.

If Numerology 0 is the same as Numerology 1, that is, SCSO is equal toSCS1, OSL0 is equal to OSL1, N0 is equal to N1, then after the UE readsthe SFI pattern in SFI, the UE can directly map the SFI patternindication about transmission attributes of each of the N0 symbols 810under Numerology 0 to a corresponding one of the N1 symbols 820 underNumerology 1, as shown in FIG. 8.

If Numerology 0 is different from Numerology 1, there are threedifferent cases as shown below.

In a first case, SCS0 is equal to SCS1, OSL0 is equal to OSL1, but N0 isnot equal to N1. When N0 is greater than N1, as shown in FIG. 9, oneslot indicated by SFI pattern 910 under Numerology 0 is split intomultiple slots 920 under Numerology 1. When N0 is less than N1, multipleslots indicated by SFI pattern 1010 under Numerology 0 are concatenatedto one slot 1020 under Numerology 1, as shown in FIG. 10.

In a second case, SCS0 is not equal to SCS1, OSL0 is not equal to OSL1,N0 is equal to N1. As shown in FIG. 11, when OSL0 is greater than OSL1(equivalent to when SCSO is less than SCS1), usually T0=k*T1, k ispositive integer, the transmission attribute of each OFDM symbol underNumerology 0 indicated by SFI pattern 1110 is mapped to multiple (k)OFDM symbols 1120 under Numerology 1; when OSL0 is less than OSL1(equivalent to when SCS0 is greater than SCSI), typically T0=T1/k, k isa positive integer, the transmission attributes of multiple OFDM symbols1110 under Numerology 0 indicated by SFI pattern are mapped to differentparts of a corresponding one OFDM symbol 1130 under Numerology 1. Basedon this method, it is ensured that the “D”, “O”, “U” fields of the twoslot structures under Numerology 0 and Numerology 1 are aligned witheach other in time domain. That is, the slot structure within a slotlength T0 under Numerology 0 indicated by the SFI pattern is the same asthe slot structure within a same time length as T0 (possibly k*T1 orT1/k) under Numerology 1.

In a third case, SCS0 is not equal to SCS1, OSL1 is not equal to OSL1,and N0 is not equal to N1. As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the methodhere is similar to that in the second case, with a purpose to ensurethat the “D”, “O”, “U” fields of the two slot structures underNumerology 0 and Numerology 1 are aligned with each other in timedomain. As shown in FIG. 12, the transmission attribute of one OFDMsymbol 1210 under Numerology 0 indicated by SFI pattern may be mapped totwo OFDM symbols 1222, 1224 in two different slots under Numerology 1.As shown in FIG. 13, the transmission attributes of two OFDM symbols1312, 1314 in two different slots under Numerology 0 indicated by SFIpattern may be mapped to different parts 1322, 1324 of a correspondingone OFDM symbol under Numerology 1.

For the second case and the third case, when the slot length T1 underNumerology 1 is not equal to the slot length T0 under Numerology 0, onecan determine the range of concatenation or split based on either (a)the SFI effective time duration determined by standardizationrequirements or semi-static configuration or a dynamic indication; or(b) number of the SFI effective slots determined by semi-staticconfiguration or a dynamic indication.

In a first situation, according to the standardization requirements orsemi-static configuration or dynamic indication, the UE can determinethat the effective time range of an SFI indication is M0 OFDM symbols.Then when the UE determines the slot structure under Numerology 1, theUE can only determine the slot structure within the effective time rangeM0*OSL0. The split or concatenation operation cannot be applied to theslots or OFDM symbols outside the effective time range (whether N0 isequal to N1*k or not, and whether N0 is equal to N1/k or not).

Alternatively, in the first situation, according to the standardizationrequirements or semi-static configuration or dynamic indication, the UEcan determine that the effective time range of an SFI indication is M0slots. Then when the UE determines the slot structure under Numerology1, the UE can only determine the slot structure within the effectivetime range M0*T0. The split or concatenation operation cannot be appliedto the slots or OFDM symbols outside the effective time range.

In a second situation, according to the standardization requirements orsemi-static configuration or dynamic indication, the UE can determinethat the effective time range of an SFI indication is M0 OFDM symbols.Then when the UE determines the slot structure under Numerology 1, theUE can only determine the slot structure within the effective time rangeM0*OSL1. The split or concatenation operation cannot be applied to theslots or OFDM symbols outside the effective time range.

Alternatively, in a second situation, according to the standardizationrequirements or semi-static configuration or dynamic indication, the UEcan determine that the effective time range of an SFI indication is M0slots. Then when the UE determines the slot structure under Numerology1, the UE can only determine the slot structure within the effectivetime range M0*T1. The split or concatenation operation cannot be appliedto the slots or OFDM symbols outside the effective time range.

It can be understood that while an effective time range of an SFIindication covers a single SFI pattern in this embodiment, an effectivetime range of an SFI indication may cover multiple SFI patterns in otherembodiments. For example, an effective time range may cover 5 timeslots, where the first two slots follow SFI pattern 1 and the rest threeslots follow SFI pattern 2. In another example, an effective time rangemay cover a slot that includes a first half portion following SFIpattern 3 and a second half portion following SFI pattern 4.

In Embodiment 3, the method in Embodiment 2 is applied to multiple BWPs.

When the BS configures and activates N (N is an integer greater than 1)BWP for the UE, it is possible to configure the UE to detect and receiveSFI on N BWPs or to detect or receive SFI on only one of the BWPs. EachBWP's Numerology can be configured independently. BS can configure theNumerology of BWP1 as Numerology 1, configure the Numerology of BWP2 asNumerology 2 . . . and configure the Numerology of BWP N as NumerologyN.

The BS may configure the UE to detect and receive SFI on only one of theBWPs. Assuming that the BS configures the UE to detect and receive SFIon BWP x (x is a positive integer in [1, N]), then the slot patternindicated by SFI corresponds to Numerology X. For the N-1 BWPs otherthan BWP x, whether or not the configured Numerology is the same asNumerology x, the UE determines the slot structure of all N BWPs basedon the SFI under Numerology x. The specific method is the same as thatof Embodiment 2.

The BS may also configure the UE to detect and receive SFI on each BWP.For BWP x, if its Numerology is Numerology x, then the slot pattern readby the BS on the BWP corresponds to Numerology x. For BWP y, if itsNumerology is Numerology y, then the slot pattern read by the BS on theBWP corresponds to Numerology y.

In Embodiment 4, the indicated SFI pattern corresponds to apredetermined number of slots or OFDM symbols, and there is no need toensure that the transmission attributes under different Numerologies arealigned in time domain. Based on the standardization or semi-staticconfiguration of BS, the UE can understand the codebook set underNumerology 0, including SFI pattern 1, SFI pattern 2 . . . SFI patternN, where different SFI patterns represent different slot structuresunder Numerology 0. The Numerology 0 has its own specific SCS, OFDMsymbol length, the number of OFDM symbols contained in a slot, denotedas SCS0, OSL0, N0, respectively. Based on the OSL0 and N0, one candetermine the slot length TO under Numerology 0, where T0=OSL0*N0.

The UE reads SFI from a CORESET of a BWP to obtain an SFI pattern, wherethe Numerology of the BWP is configured as Numerology 1 (targetNumerology). Numerology 1 has its own specific SCS, OFDM symbol length,the number of OFDM symbols contained in a slot, denoted as SCSI, OSL1,N1, respectively. Based on the OSL1 and N1, one can determine the slotlength T1 under Numerology 1, where T1=OSL1*N1. It can be understoodthat, while a transmission Numerology (Numerology of a transmitted BWP)is equal to a target Numerology in this embodiment, the transmissionNumerology may be different from a target Numerology in some otherembodiments.

By comparing Numerology 0 and Numerology 1, the UE can determinedifferent translation schemes to for channel structure determination.

If N0 under Numerology 0 is equal to N1 under Numerology 1, then the UEcan directly map the transmission attribute indicated by SFI pattern ofeach of the N0 symbols 1410 to a corresponding one of the N1 symbols1420, as shown in FIG. 14, without considering whether the OSL1 (orSCS1) under Numerology 1 is equal to the OSL0 (or SCS0) under Numerology0.

If N0 under Numerology 0 is not equal to N1 under Numerology 1, thenwhen N0=k*N1, k is a positive integer, the UE can divide a slot 1510under Numerology 0 into k slots 1520, 1530, 1540 under Numerology 1, andthen determine the transmission attribute of each OFDM symbol underNumerology 1 according to the SFI pattern indication under Numerology 0,as shown in FIG. 15. When N0=N1/k (and k is a positive integer, the UEcan concatenate k slots 1610 under Numerology 0 into one slot 1620,1630, 1640 under Numerology 1, and then determine the transmissionattribute of each OFDM symbol under Numerology 1 according to the SFIpattern indication under Numerology 0, as shown in FIG. 16. Similarly,the system does not consider whether the OSL1 (or SCS1) under Numerology1 is equal to the OSL0 (or SCS0) under Numerology 0.

According to the standardization requirements or semi-staticconfiguration or a dynamic indication, the UE can determine that theeffective time range of an SFI indication is M0 OFDM symbols. Then whenthe UE determines the slot structure under Numerology 1, the UE can onlydetermine the slot structure within the effective time range M0*OSL1.The split or concatenation operation cannot be applied to the slots orOFDM symbols outside the effective time range. Alternatively, accordingto the standardization requirements or semi-static configuration or adynamic indication, the UE can determine that the effective time rangeof an SFI indication is M0 slots. Then when the UE determines the slotstructure under Numerology 1, the UE can only determine the slotstructure within the effective time range M0*T1. Again, the split orconcatenation operation cannot be applied to the slots or OFDM symbolsoutside the effective time range.

In Embodiment 5, the method in Embodiment 4 is applied to multiple BWPs,where Embodiment 5 can follow steps similar to those in Embodiment 3.

In Embodiment 6, a method is disclosed to solve an issue when the SFIindication conflicts with UE-specific DCI and/or a semi-staticconfiguration signal. When certain conditions are met, the UE canreceive a semi-statically configured periodic or aperiodic downlinksignal, or send a semi-statically configured periodic or aperiodicuplink signal, on the OFDM symbol in an “O” field indicated by the SFI,as shown in FIG. 17.

At the time t1 1710, using one of the methods in Embodiments 1 to 5, theUE can determine the slot structure on a BWP based on the received SFIindication. The slot structure contains the “O” field. For the OFDMsymbols having a transmission attribute of “O”; the UE cannotreceive/transmit any downlink/uplink signals or downlink/uplink channelson these OFDM symbols.

At the time t2 1720, the UE receives a UE-specific DCI, which indicatesthat the OFDM symbols with the transmission attribute “O” are used forDL transmission. Then starting from t2, the UE, in addition to DL or ULtransmission on the corresponding symbols indicated by the UE-specificDCI, can also receive a semi-statically configured periodic or aperiodicdownlink signal, such as a CSI-RS (Channel State Information-ReferenceSignal), DMRS (DeModulation Reference Signal), etc., on an OFDM symbol102 that may be used for DL transmission and has a transmissionattribute “O”.

At time t3 1730, the UE receives the updated SFI indication and repeatsthe previous operations according to the updated SFI indication.

At time t4 1740, the UE receives a UE-specific DCI, which indicates thatthe OFDM symbols with the transmission attribute “O” are used for ULtransmission. Then starting from t4, the UE, in addition to DL or ULtransmission on the corresponding symbols indicated by the UE-specificDCI, can also transmit semi-statically configured periodic or aperiodicuplink signals, such as SRS (Sounding Reference Signal), DMRS, etc., onOFDM symbols 104 with a transmission attribute of “O” used for ULtransmission.

In Embodiment 7, a method for determining a guard period (GP) betweentwo transmissions of different directions is disclosed. The UE needs atransition time GP between the uplink transmission and downlinktransmission or between the downlink transmission and the uplinktransmission. In this embodiment, GP must be within a time range with atransmission attribute of “O” indicated by the SFI pattern. GP canoccupy the entire “O” field or occupy just a part of the “O” field.

While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been describedabove, it should be understood that they have been presented by way ofexample only, and not by way of limitation. Likewise, the variousdiagrams may depict an example architectural or configuration, which areprovided to enable persons of ordinary skill in the art to understandexemplary features and functions of the present disclosure. Such personswould understand, however, that the present disclosure is not restrictedto the illustrated example architectures or configurations, but can beimplemented using a variety of alternative architectures andconfigurations. Additionally, as would be understood by persons ofordinary skill in the art, one or more features of one embodiment can becombined with one or more features of another embodiment describedherein. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should notbe limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

It is also understood that any reference to an element herein using adesignation such as “first,” “second,” and so forth does not generallylimit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, thesedesignations can be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishingbetween two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, areference to first and second elements does not mean that only twoelements can be employed, or that the first element must precede thesecond element in some manner.

Additionally, a person having ordinary skill in the art would understandthat information and signals can be represented using any of a varietyof different technologies and techniques. For example, data,instructions, commands, information, signals, bits and symbols, forexample, which may be referenced in the above description can berepresented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magneticfields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combinationthereof.

A person of ordinary skill in the art would further appreciate that anyof the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, means,circuits, methods and functions described in connection with the aspectsdisclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., adigital implementation, an analog implementation, or a combination ofthe two), firmware, various forms of program or design codeincorporating instructions (which can be referred to herein, forconvenience, as “software” or a “software module), or any combination ofthese techniques.

To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware andsoftware, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits,and steps have been described above generally in terms of theirfunctionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware,firmware or software, or a combination of these techniques, depends uponthe particular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem. Skilled artisans can implement the described functionality invarious ways for each particular application, but such implementationdecisions do not cause a departure from the scope of the presentdisclosure. In accordance with various embodiments, a processor, device,component, circuit, structure, machine, module, etc. can be configuredto perform one or more of the functions described herein. The term“configured to” or “configured for” as used herein with respect to aspecified operation or function refers to a processor, device,component, circuit, structure, machine, module, etc. that is physicallyconstructed, programmed and/or arranged to perform the specifiedoperation or function.

Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand thatvarious illustrative logical blocks, modules, devices, components andcircuits described herein can be implemented within or performed by anintegrated circuit (IC) that can include a general purpose processor, adigital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or otherprogrammable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logicalblocks, modules, and circuits can further include antennas and/ortransceivers to communicate with various components within the networkor within the device. A general purpose processor can be amicroprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be anyconventional processor, controller, or state machine. A processor canalso be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., acombination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality ofmicroprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSPcore, or any other suitable configuration to perform the functionsdescribed herein.

If implemented in software, the functions can be stored as one or moreinstructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Thus, the steps of amethod or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented as softwarestored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includesboth computer storage media and communication media including any mediumthat can be enabled to transfer a computer program or code from oneplace to another. A storage media can be any available media that can beaccessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, suchcomputer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storagedevices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired programcode in the form of instructions or data structures and that can beaccessed by a computer.

In this document, the term “module” as used herein, refers to software,firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performingthe associated functions described herein. Additionally, for purpose ofdiscussion, the various modules are described as discrete modules;however, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, twoor more modules may be combined to form a single module that performsthe associated functions according embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

Additionally, memory or other storage, as well as communicationcomponents, may be employed in embodiments of the present disclosure. Itwill be appreciated that, for clarity purposes, the above descriptionhas described embodiments of the present disclosure with reference todifferent functional units and processors. However, it will be apparentthat any suitable distribution of functionality between differentfunctional units, processing logic elements or domains may be usedwithout detracting from the present disclosure. For example,functionality illustrated to be performed by separate processing logicelements, or controllers, may be performed by the same processing logicelement, or controller. Hence, references to specific functional unitsare only references to a suitable means for providing the describedfunctionality, rather than indicative of a strict logical or physicalstructure or organization.

Various modifications to the implementations described in thisdisclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and thegeneral principles defined herein can be applied to otherimplementations without departing from the scope of this disclosure.Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to theimplementations shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, asrecited in the claims below.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method performed by a first node, the methodcomprising: receiving a wireless signal from a second node; obtainingchannel structure information indicated by the wireless signal;determining a first waveform parameter set configured for the channelstructure information indicated by the wireless signal; and determiningtransmission attributes of a transmission link between the first nodeand the second node in a predetermined time duration with respect to thefirst waveform parameter set based on the channel structure information.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission attributes include atleast one of: a downlink (DL) field under which the first node canreceive a downlink signal; an uplink (UL) field under which the firstnode can transmit an uplink signal; and an OTHER field under which thefirst node can either receive a downlink signal or transmit an uplinksignal after receiving a dynamic indication from the second nodeindicating that the OTHER filed is updated to a DL field or a UL field,respectively, wherein each of the uplink signal and the downlink signalis a semi-statically configured signal.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the predetermined time duration is determined based on anabsolute time period irrelevant to any waveform parameter set.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the predetermined time duration is determinedbased on a relative time period associated with a second waveformparameter set, wherein a length of the relative time period depends onvalues of the second waveform parameter set.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein: the channel structure information indicates one or more channelstructures included in a set of structural codebooks corresponding to afirst time unit; and each of the one or more channel structures coversone or more second time units in the predetermined time duration and apattern of transmission attributes of the one or more second time units.6. The method of claim 5, wherein: the set of structural codebooksindicates channel structures covering a number of second time unitsunder a third waveform parameter set that is determined based on asemi-static configuration.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein: thetransmission attributes in the predetermined time duration aredetermined based on an alignment of transmission attributes underdifferent waveform parameter sets in the predetermined time duration. 8.A method performed by a first node, the method comprising: configuring afirst waveform parameter set and a predetermined time duration for asecond node to determine transmission attributes of a transmission linkbetween the first node and the second node; generating a wireless signalwhich indicates channel structure information related to the firstwaveform parameter set; and transmitting the wireless signal to thesecond node.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the transmissionattributes include at least one of: a DL field under which the secondnode can receive a downlink signal; a UL field under which the secondnode can transmit an uplink signal; and an OTHER field under which thesecond node can either receive a downlink signal or transmit an uplinksignal after receiving a dynamic indication from the first nodeindicating that the OTHER filed is updated to a DL field or a UL field,respectively, wherein each of the uplink signal and the downlink signalis a semi-statically configured signal.
 10. The method of claim 8,wherein the predetermined time duration is determined based on anabsolute time period irrelevant to any waveform parameter set.
 11. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the predetermined time duration is determinedbased on a relative time period associated with a second waveformparameter set, wherein a length of the relative time period depends onvalues of the second waveform parameter set.
 12. The method of claim 8,wherein: the channel structure information indicates one or more channelstructures included in a set of structural codebooks corresponding to afirst time unit; and each of the one or more channel structures coversone or more second time units in the predetermined time duration and apattern of transmission attributes of the one or more second time units.13. The method of claim 12, wherein: the set of structural codebooksindicates channel structures covering a number of second time unitsunder a third waveform parameter set that is determined based on asemi-static configuration.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein: thetransmission attributes in the predetermined time duration aredetermined based on an alignment of transmission attributes underdifferent waveform parameter sets in the predetermined time duration.15. A first communication apparatus comprising a processor, a memory anda wireless interface, wherein the memory stores instructions that, whenexecuted, causes the processor to: receive a wireless signal from asecond communication apparatus; obtain channel structure informationindicated by the wireless signal; determine a first waveform parameterset configured for the channel structure information indicated by thewireless signal; and determine transmission attributes of a transmissionlink between the first communication apparatus and the secondcommunication apparatus in a predetermined time duration with respect tothe first waveform parameter set based on the channel structureinformation.
 16. The first communication apparatus of claim 15, whereinthe transmission attributes include at least one of: a DL field underwhich the first communication apparatus can receive a downlink signal; aUL field under which the first communication apparatus can transmit anuplink signal; and an OTHER field under which the first communicationapparatus can either receive a downlink signal or transmit an uplinksignal after receiving a dynamic indication from the secondcommunication apparatus indicating that the OTHER filed is updated to aDL field or a UL field, respectively, wherein each of the uplink signaland the downlink signal is a semi-statically configured signal.
 17. Afirst communication apparatus comprising a processor, a memory and awireless interface, wherein the memory stores instructions that, whenexecuted, causes the processor to: configure a first waveform parameterset and a predetermined time duration for a second communicationapparatus to determine transmission attributes of a transmission linkbetween the first communication apparatus and the second communicationapparatus; generate a wireless signal which indicates channel structureinformation related to the first waveform parameter set; and transmitthe wireless signal to the second communication apparatus.
 18. The firstcommunication apparatus of claim 17, wherein the transmission attributesinclude at least one of: a DL field under which the second node canreceive a downlink signal; a UL field under which the second node cantransmit an uplink signal; and an OTHER field under which the secondnode can either receive a downlink signal or transmit an uplink signalafter receiving a dynamic indication from the first node indicating thatthe OTHER filed is updated to a DL field or a UL field, respectively,wherein each of the uplink signal and the downlink signal is asemi-statically configured signal.
 19. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions storedthereon, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by aprocessor of a first node, causing the processor to implement a methodcomprising: receiving a wireless signal from a second node; obtainingchannel structure information indicated by the wireless signal;determining a first waveform parameter set configured for the channelstructure information indicated by the wireless signal; and determiningtransmission attributes of a transmission link between the first nodeand the second node in a predetermined time duration with respect to thefirst waveform parameter set based on the channel structure information.20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein thetransmission attributes include at least one of: a DL field under whichthe first communication apparatus can receive a downlink signal; a ULfield under which the first communication apparatus can transmit anuplink signal; and an OTHER field under which the first communicationapparatus can either receive a downlink signal or transmit an uplinksignal after receiving a dynamic indication from the secondcommunication apparatus indicating that the OTHER filed is updated to aDL field or a UL field, respectively, wherein each of the uplink signaland the downlink signal is a semi-statically configured signal.
 21. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executableinstructions stored thereon, the computer-executable instructions, whenexecuted by a processor of a first node, causing the processor toimplement a method comprising: configuring a first waveform parameterset and a predetermined time duration for a second node to determinetransmission attributes of a transmission link between the first nodeand the second node; generating a wireless signal which indicateschannel structure information related to the first waveform parameterset; and transmitting the wireless signal to the second node.
 22. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein thetransmission attributes include at least one of: a DL field under whichthe second node can receive a downlink signal; a UL field under whichthe second node can transmit an uplink signal; and an OTHER field underwhich the second node can either receive a downlink signal or transmitan uplink signal after receiving a dynamic indication from the firstnode indicating that the OTHER filed is updated to a DL field or a ULfield, respectively, wherein each of the uplink signal and the downlinksignal is a semi-statically configured signal.